The invention concerns a container for a flowable product. PCT/EP97/03100 discloses a container formed by a first wall and a second wall joined together along the periphery, and at least one thereof is concave to define, together with the other wall, a cavity containing a fluid product. The container further comprises an opening zone which has an indication of separation, e.g. a line or a notch, extending from one edge to the other edge of the container for opening of the container along the indication. When such a container is used to drink the product directly, the lips of the consumer come into contact with the opening zone, which has not been hygienically protected and therefore may be dirty, or otherwise contaminated.
PCT/EP94/02493 discloses a package for edible products having a pocket-shaped part with a tubular portion the inside of which is connected to the inside of the pocket-shaped part and a handle which extends along the tubular portion, with an edible product being in the pocket-shaped part; in such a package, the pocket-shaped part and the tubular portion are formed by thermoformed shells peripherally joined along their outlines. To open the package, the weld is of a peelable type, so that a consumer may separate the shells from each other beginning by pulling away from each other non-welded lugs which are of the respective shells and protrude from the peripheral weld.
The handle may be provided with an internal conduit and therefore act as a straw for drinking a liquid product which is inside the pocket-shaped part. In this case, the package is not opened completely, but just as much as necessary to uncover a sufficient part of the straw for use.
Such containers maintain optimal hygienic conditions because the straw is protected by the tubular portion of the package until opening.
EP-A-0816252 discloses a container in the form of a sachet for packaging of biological liquid substances and having a peelable opening for the introduction of cannulae, tubes and probes. The sachet is constituted by two thermoplastics sheets welded together along a weld bounding a pocket to the top of which extends a filling conduit. One of the two sheets has in its top part a wax zone of peelability. After filling, the sachet is sealed at a transverse seeling zone inside the zone of peelability, in the region of the upper part of the conduit. The sachet can be opened easily, without recourse to a cutting tool, at the desired zone, by manually separating the two sheets and, for example, a probe can be introduced through the conduit into the pocket.
A main aim of the invention is to improve the known containers.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for a flowable product, comprising a first wall and a second wall of which at least one is concave, which define therebetween a cavity wherein the product is contained, and which are joined together round substantially the whole of the periphery of the cavity by means of a peelable weld, and an opening zone of said weld including parts of the walls, characterized in that said opening zone is delimited by localized portions of the first and second walls in the region of said peelable weld which are of lower peelability than said peelable weld.
Owing to this aspect of the invention, it is possible to simplify the manufacture of the containers whilst nevertheless reducing the risk of the two walls being pulled apart too far on opening of the container. The simplification of manufacture can be obtained because both walls can be made totally of peelable material, whilst the peel-arresting means provided by the localized portions can be made by mechanical deformation and/or thermowelding carried out when two sheets from which the respective walls are formed are being peelably welded together or blow thermoformed, for example.
The localized portions of the two walls may be so much lower in peelability as not to be peelable at all.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container for a flowable product, comprising a first wall and a second wall of which at least one is concave, which define therebetween a cavity wherein the product is contained and which are joined together around the periphery of the cavity by means of a weld, an opening zone of said weld including parts of the walls, characterized in that maintaining means serves to maintain said parts in the open condition.
Owing to this aspect of the invention, it is possible for a consumer to prevent the opened parts from returning towards their closed condition until the consumer so desires. If desired, those parts of the two walls other than the parts at the opening zone may be non-peelably welded together; however, it is preferred that they be peelably welded together, particularly in order to simplify manufacture of the container.
In particular, it is possible to improve the hygienic conditions of the opening zone of a container, especially in a container wherein there is not provided a straw for drinking the product directly.
When the container is to be opened, the wall parts of the opening zone can be pulled away from each other, so that the cavity of the container communicates with the outside environment. The parts of wall may be folded outwards, so that those faces which were inside when the container was closed and were in hygienically protected conditions, now face outwards possibly to come into contact with the lips of a consumer and particularly to obstruct the lips from coming into contact with the exterior surface of the container. Therefore, the hygienic conditions relating to consuming the product directly from the container are greatly improved. Moreover, once opened, the parts folded outwards create an opening with rounded edges, so preventing the container from damaging the mouth of the consumer.